The Nerd, the Witch and the Ball
by LelUCares
Summary: It's Shibusen's first New Year Ball Party with the new Shinigami-sama and certain spear user meister wants to ask his long-time-crush-almost-girlfriend for a dance. Problem is Ox's horrible timing getting an attack of lack of confidence and Kim's stubbornness to wait till Ox makes the first move. Can the couple end well before the year finishes or will they need a small push?


**The Nerd, the Witch and the Ball**

"Just ask her out, would you?"

"Wha-? No way! She'll definitely turn me down!"

"Then stop ogling at her and sit and drink punch for the rest of the night," said Harvar D. Éclair at his distressed friend while taking a sip of his own drink. He wore a gray tuxedo with his brown scarf and a pair of blue shaded glasses. "Besides, aren't you two supposed to be dating now?"

Ox Ford, who, along his friend, wore a black tuxedo with a red tie and a rose on the right lapel, felt his head against the table the two were in and mumbled "Guh… not quite, I believe she just tolerates me more."

It was Shibusen's New Year Ball Party and all the staff and student body were at the Dance Studio. The salon was very well decorated, fitting the style of that of a royal party ball having big tables full of international food around the dance stage and other round tables so people could sit to rest a bit and chat, giving the dancers plenty of space to express themselves. The party had started some hours ago and now romantic melodies were the ones resonating in the room.

"You know that's not true, and what about that time when you gave her that raccoon doll and she hugged you and kissed your cheek?"

"She only did that to follow the social standards of how to act when you receive a gift."

"Ox-kun, with all respect, sometimes you're an idiot." replied Harvar curtly.

* * *

**On the other side of the Dance Studio **

Kim Diehl let out an exasperated sigh, her arms bent in the table letting her rest her chin on them. "This is boring me out of my mind. Wanna dance?"

Her friend, Jacqueline O. Lantern Dupré, stopped playing with her straw and replied "It's not my place to dance those kind of romantic songs with you. Ask Ox if you want to dance."

"NO!" immediately answered back Kim. "Girls aren't the ones supposed to ask out. Boys are."

The burette pointed at the weeping meister. "Fine, then wait till Ox makes his mind and finally comes here."

The two girls wore their own choice of clothes. Kim's attire was a light green unbuttoned jacket in front of a strapless green dress with gold details that managed to cover her knee-long brown boots, while Jacqueline stick to a more traditional and simple style with a sleeveless bluish violet dress and a pair of silver heels.

"How much do you think it will take for him to finally ask me out?" The pink haired asked as she straightened.

Jackie looked at the boys with measuring eyes. "I'm not sure, but for the looks of this I think a week may be a good estimation."

Kim facepalmed and said "Then dance with me!"

"Nope."

* * *

**Ox and Harvar**

"UGH!"

The two boys gazed towards the scolding petite girl, Ox with a nervous gulp and Harvar with a mild glare.

"You see? She's irked by now. If I had a slim chance to ask her out, it's surely gone by now!"

"No, I believe she's just angry because **no one** has asked her out for a dance." answered Harvar.

At that the nerd boy blinked. It was true. Since the beginning of the ball he hadn't seen Kim dance for once and he had kept an eye on her since she arrived along Jackie, Tsugumi Harudori and friends.

"You're right, Harvar-kun. I don't know why I'm being such a coward. I'm not like this." said Ox.

The Demon Spear cleaned his glasses nonchalantly as he said "Yes, you usually jump at her every time you get the chance."

"EXACTLY!" Ox replied slightly proud of the statement, not caring of the creepiness it carried. "That's it, I'm going over there!"

Ox walked in front of a relieved-looking Kim with all the courage in the world and said "Kim would you—"

BLINK, BLINK

There was the sound of glass being gently hit with a fork, effectively interrupting the Lighting King's speech.

"Attention, I need your attention, please!" said Elizabeth Thompson in a long red gown though a microphone as the music stopped and she got the people's attention. "In only five minutes more it's going to be new year, so we're about to begin the New Year speech, so here it is, Shinigami-sama!"

The crowd cheered and applauded as Death the Kid, enveloped in a new and personalized black gothic suit, stepped in and took the microphone. He gestured with one hand for silence before beginning. "This year was full of good things and bad things. It ranges from the successful sealing of the Kishin and the birth of a new Shinigami to the death of my father and the loss of a courageous comrade and friend. However, we have to-"

As Kid kept with his speech, everyone but one was listening to him and that person was furiously thinking on how luck was not on his side having lost his chances to dance with the girl of his dreams just as he was about to ask her. The moment Liz asked for attention, people moving towards the Demon Pistol managed to separate him and Kim.

He was lost on his own little blue world to notice the disapproving stare of his best friend or that of her crush's best friend.

"- and that's why I want to wish all of you a happy New Year full of new beginnings. We're all Shibusen and we'll do our best to protect the world!"

The sudden applauses and, well, cheering for the words of their new Shinigami-sama broke Ox out of his trance. He avoided being dragged away by the dispersing people.

Patricia Thompson, who dressed in the same outfit as her sister, returned at the sound system and resumed playing romantic songs with pink heart-shaped headphones and all. It was then that Harvar grabbed his meister's shoulder and snatched him towards a corner of the room. He was sick with all that cheap drama.

* * *

**Kim and Jackie**

"Know what? Fine, I'm done with this," groaned the Tanuki Witch as she and her friend could finally leave the dissolving mass of people. "Let's call it a night and go home."

The Demon Lamp looked at her friend sadly. Those two were _sooo_ bloody close. They couldn't leave now, could they? Harvar was going to do his part and so she had to do hers. And with that in mind, the brown-eyed girl made a choise.

"No, we won't."

"Huh?"

"We won't be leaving this place until it's officially New Year." said Jacqueline firmly.

"Oh, yes? And how do you _think_ you _are_ going to stop me?" Kim said defiantly with her hands on her hips irritated.

Jackie seemed unfazed and just countered with a "Oh, look. There come Ox and Harvar."

"What?" Kim questioned looking in front of her and towards the two boys. She looked at her friend again only to find her retreating towards Tsubaki Nakatsukasa's table. _Oh, you sneaky little-_

"Eeep!"

* * *

**Ox and Harvar**

"What happened there, Ox-kun?" questioned Harvar.

Ox fidgeted with his fingers. "I-I was about to ask her, I swear! But then I got interrupted, and then people started swarming around a-and I kind of lost her."

"I see…" his partner said. "Well, no worries, you can ask her now. Kid just took three minutes with his speech. You still have time."

The bald boy shaked Harvar's hand off his shoulder. "No, Harvar-kun. It's useless…"

"What are you talking about?"

"I think I should go and stay with Kirikou-kun…" he said ignoring his partner.

"Kirikou passed out alongside Black Star for eating too much food in a contest. He's not available and I'm not letting you get away of this. I'm not in the mood to deal with a weeping and regretful Ox for the rest of the year." replied Harvar as he took his meister's elbow and dragged him towards the female members of their team.

Ox was about to complain until he found himself in front of Kim who was giving her retreating friend a murderous glare. He let out a small yep making the green-eyed girl turn towards him.

"Huh? What's the matter, Ox?" asked Kim trying not to sound so anxious.

_Oh, boy. This is bad._ "Ah… well, uh, you see… um…" mumbled Ox. By now Harvar was long gone.

"Well? You gonna say something or what?" she said losing her cool and tapping the floor with her foot impatiently. If Ox didn't say anything soon she was going to kick his retarded ass and then kick Jackie's for leaving her on her own.

"Doyouwantodancewithmemyfairlady?" croaked Ox while holding his hand in the face of the Tanuki Witch as he looked at his shoes expecting the worst.

Kim smirked at him and took his trembling hand. "Sure, why not?" _Finally!_

The two walked towards the stage, leaving their two partners behind. When they found a perfect spot they took the usual waltz stances and started dancing. Their nervousness starting to melt until their movements were less strained and more relaxed, following the flow of the music in the background and ignoring the other people around them.

The clock bells resounded marking the beginning of a new year followed by some fireworks outside the academy. People laughed, ate, slept and so on, but only a small group kept dancing in the stage and in the middle of them were Ox and Kim, calmly dancing with each other.

All was good in the world until Ox felt a hard punch on his stomach, courtesy of his crush. "Uff!"

"You truly know how to keep a lady waiting." said Kim against Ox's chest while he grinned goofily, ignoring the pain of getting the wind out of him.

On the other side, watching the pair with amusement were Harvar and Jackie. They high-fived at the success of their little set-up scheme and made a toast for the New Year's arrival.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Soul Eater, their characters or locations; they're the properties of Atsushi Ohkubo. I just took them without permission for entertaining purposes.

* * *

_Hey!_

_I know it's a little late to be writing about New Year, but I just returned from vacation a while back so I didn't have time to upload this until now. Also, this is my first time writing romance (or so I think this is catalogued as such); I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it because I don't think I'll be doing another one for a while. Too much drama for me...  
_

_I know I haven't continued my other stories, but I will. I have till this weekend to upload a new chapter before I go to the States for other two weeks. Anyway, happy -late- New Year!_

_Tschüss!_


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